Stay Out of Wisconsin
Copy of Dishonesty: March - November
This page provides 16 examples of Five Skies dishonesty & lack of interest in performing any of the required repairs.
I understand that Five Skies was a'wishing & a'hoping that changing the pipes in the unit itself would correct the grotesque iron-water problem as Nick wrote on 5/10: "The water issues must be related to the pipes in the trailer itself and the new lines should remedy that." That installation obviously failed to change the water quality. Video below was filmed on 10/29:
They were not interested in correcting the problem as he wrote 7/1 they would "terminate my lease" instead of correcting the water. I had packed, moved myself (66 yrs old w/physical limitations acquired from treatment for invasive breast cancer) & my business over 200 miles....an expensive, exhausting, and difficult move. Now, 63 days after I move in, unpack, etc., they will "terminate my lease" rather than correct the water & I should find another place to move myself, my business & two cats 63 days later????
My letter of 9/3 states repairs completed are: "screening that was placed over the old, torn screens on five of ten windows (5/21) keeps insects out and cats safe while decreasing air ventilation; pin replaced on the bedroom door hinge so it wouldn’t fall off again."
Five Skies repeatedly failed to build to code, obtain necessary building permits, hired a plumber 'off the books' (per plumber himself) presumably to save a few dollars; wrote that repairs were a "priority" "on schedule" and "I will make sure that these are all addressed as soon as possible." (Nick's 5/10 email) "...the continued problems indeed need to be addressed soon." (Nick's 7/1 email). However, no appointments were requested; nothing was done from 7/17-9/11. I understand how they'd prefer to collect full rent while doing nothing as they did in August. In September, I paid the previously agreed upon abated rent on time referencing the appropriate statute. They chose instead to evict me aided & abetted by Patrick Arendt - an attorney who demonstrated absolutely no regard for the applicable laws, lied to the State agency and court; and didn't give a flying fig about proper process or respect for ethics code of attorneys.
Communication with Five Skies began 3/24 and ended on 9/20 (181 days)
Definition of Fraud: "wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain."
Having done nothing to correct the water, or anything else, they demanded full rent for August, Sept, Oct......really, they did. I call that fraud.
1. Flying Squirrels
2. My availability
3. Hired plumber "off the books"
4. New lines should fix water
5. Nick to Wood Co Health Dep't
6. Washer/Dryer? Sure....but, no
7. Garden? Sure....not really
8. July 16th appointment
9. Aug 5th - no response
10. Windows don't open/close
11. 90° heat in unit - they'll get around to it 16 days later
12. Screens were replaced 4/20. No, they weren't.
13. Door to be replaced. Not done.
14. Letter of 9/3 - no response.
15. Coerced sham app't of 9/20 - no show- no cancel- no reschedule
16. Nick's email of 7/1 - too many falsehoods to address individually
1. Endangered Flying Squirrels in Wisconsin? Nick claims yes, but no per Wisconsin DNR
03/27/16 – first viewing of #6: Both trees were banded (barely visible in photo) & I was told that both trees had to be cut down. When I moved in on 4/27, the tree on the right had been removed. Nick told me that the tree on the left was not cut down because it had been designated a habitat for endangered flying squirrels in WI.
As I’m very fond of most all animals and didn’t plan to live here indefinitely, I was okay with that. However, it is NOT true as there are NO flying squirrels or any other kind of squirrel on Wisconsin's DNR
Endangered and Threatened list.
I spoke with Haley at DNR and learned that it was possible but extremely unlikely that a single tree would make it thru their process or do so in less than one month to be classified as a habitat and assuming that flying squirrels were, in fact, endangered but they're not.
2.Nick wrote that I haven't been there when they happen to be on site, but no, Nick is lying again
07/01/16: email from Nick:
“I will assume that you prefer email contact since it has been difficult to get in touch with you with phone calls, texts and are you have not been available at the home when we have been over there.”
2 excerpts from my letter of 9/3:
1. “That is not true. Joseph called yesterday and 6/9. No voicemails were left. When no voicemail message is left, I generally conclude that it was a misdial. His text of yesterday is the first I have received from him. I've found that email is preferable when the conversation is a bit more complex.”
2. “In the two weeks prior to your 7/1 email: Delbert was whacking weeds on the area behind the gray building; Joey was here mowing the weeds behind the gray building; and, a few days prior to your email – I was standing on the lowest back step when Joey drove by me (about 3’ away) in the silver pick-up truck. Neither Joey nor Delbert attempted to speak with me on any of those three occasions.”
3. Kurt Wilkinson - a licensed plumber hired for a cash job to install plumbing pipes without permit
More about Kurt's delays, all of our texts, no shows over 39 days, felony stalking charge, burglary & misappropriation of ID to obtain money, domestic abuse at Cash Job Plumber
Nick hired him for cash – an off the books job. Kurt told me he was fitting this cash job in between his on-the-books appointments. He was to install new pipes allegedly to improve the water pressure (didn’t happen) and without the required building permit from Saratoga Building Inspector by mid-May (didn’t happen). Day after day he texted that he would be there, and no show after no show with no text and no call to advise he was not coming as “promised.”
Over the 39 days (texts here) that Kurt kept me waiting for another no-show appointment, my 60-day Insurance producer license expired 6/18 so I lost my ability to work in Minnesota AND Wisconsin. Other than his failure to show up time & again after promising to be there, I found his behavior to be "off" and didn't trust him to be alone in my unit. Intuition is a valuable tool: he was arrested & in jail 6/13/16 for felony stalking a woman in Stevens Point; arrested again 9/2017 for burglary, misappropriation of ID to obtain money, and theft; and later charged with domestic abuse.
He demonstrated a lack of concern re permits/code and the sewage left on my lawn for 18 days (more here) and finally installing the proper pipe cap on 10/7 after I contacted the Wood County Department of Health. 8/22 broken pipe; correct capping 10/7 = 47 days. The lawn was never cleaned in accordance with DSPS regulations.
This is the same careless plumber who left plumbing wall panel disconnected from wall allowing my 16 yr old cat to be lost for over 3 days; the second time Kurt had showed up without notice refusing me the time to lock the two 100% indoor cats down. That resulted in Chutney’s panicked escape for another day. Clearly my presence was necessary to ensure the well-being of the cats in addition to the fact that his behavior/attitude were unprofessional & very peculiar to say the least.
4. Nick's 5/10 email reply re my concern with rust particles: “The water from our well....does not have any problems with color, odor, chemical or minerals.” And “…the new lines should remedy that.”
Can a reasonable and/or normal person look at these two toilet bowls and conclude there are no “mineral” problems despite Nick’s assertions to the contrary?
These are the two toilet bowls I first saw
when I moved in 4/27/16. The bowl on the left is about 1 yr old. Repeated scrubbings of the toilet bowl (on right have had little to no impact on removing these stains as I told Nick in my email of 6/30.
The water in the well is not the same water that flows out of a unit's taps. There are pipes from the well to the pump and from the pump to the unit(s). That's like saying: the water from the river or reservoir is exactly the same as the city water that flows out of your house taps. There are a lot of pipes in between the river & your kitchen tap. Wood County Health Department does not test water IN housing units (email
confirmed this by Kate Carlson @ Wood County Health Department.)
Nick knew there were 2 possibilities for correction: the pipes in the unit or the pipes from the well to the pumphouse & pumphouse to unit.
On 5/10 he wrote:
"The water issues must be related to the pipes in the trailer itself and the new lines should remedy that."
And on 7/01 he wrote:
"If the water remains unimproved, it may be necessary to replace lines below ground. We will determine how best to approach that situation if the need arises but if that is the case, we may have to terminate your lease because we would not continue to rent the unit until that issue is remedied and it may take a considerable amount of time to remedy."
What did they actually DO
to correct the water when the unit's new lines failed to remedy the iron-filled water? Nothing.
5. Nick's communication with the Wood County Health Department was a lot less than honest
NOTE: Wood County Health Department concerns itself ONLY with coliform bacteria.
10/17 email to Nancy:
After reiterating that Nick had been informed & was well aware of the water situation (5/10, 5/19, 5/20, 5/31, 6/17, mid-June in person, 6/30, 7/16, 8/5, 9/6, 9/11), I inquired: let me know whether you think there is any valid reason to think that the Landlord has ANY interest in correcting the situation.
(She did not respond to that query.)
Nancy Eggleston's email of October 20 (on left, click to enlarge) says "the workers were not given access..." Wood County Health Department did not, at any point schedule an appointment with me. If
she is referring to the bogus 9/20 appointment, the details are found here; summary: the plumber didn't show up, no request for reschedule, no apology for no-show.
As of Oct 20th, I had been there for 6 MONTHS. I replied: "That is not true.....They do NOT need access to this unit; the pumphouse is 35 steps away." Think about that:
Where IN your house would you put "a filter" to ("hopefully, hopefully" per Joey) correct all the water taps: sinks, toilets, bath/shower, laundry?
Does Nick actually think the 10am appt on 9/20 was actually attempted by Kurt, Delbert (vehicle mechanic), & Joey (20 yr old who asked his Uncle Delbert to check his work when he replaced a pin on a door hinge)? It was not (click here). On 9/20:
■ They were either talking with Arendt and & would be over when they were done talking as of 10:34am OR
■ Kurt was in Madison per Arendt's response to DATCP OR
■ Joey's email of 10:34am was a lie OR
■ Joey's email (arrived on 10/4 at 4:21pm) about Kurt in Madison was a lie or ???? (gmail timestamped 11:40am on 9/20).■ I received NO further communication of ANY kind from Five Skies personnel.
Impossible to know what's what when dealing with folks who have little, if any, regard for honesty.
6. Washer & Dryer, Nick? Sure - hook-ups, side by side.
3/24 In my initial email (left, click to enlarge) re the info on craigslist, I inquired whether there was a washer/dryer or hook-ups; whether they were side by side or stacked. Washer/Dryer in the unit was one of my few requirements. Given my physical limitations since breast cancer chemo, surgery, & radiation complications/scar tissue, hauling laundry to a laundromat was a painful, exhausting issue over the next six (6) months I endured at #6.
I was never
informed whether the plumber had or had not connected the laundry although I couldn't have used a washer unless I wanted an all-orange wardrobe and I doubt the water pressure would have been adequate for a washer.
7. Inquired 4/18 in email whether I could plant a few flowers, tomatoes....Nick said ok 4/19
How'd that go?
Well, the soil
was non existent - it was dirt the color of...rust, not surprisingly I suppose. See exterior of "park" here.
I removed a lot of that dirt and replaced it with 12 very large bags of garden soil.
Planted tomatoes, hot peppers, zucchini, and on the short south side of the unit a few rosemary, oregano, basil plants.
With no outdoor water tap connected until Sept 8, I had to haul bucket after bucket of "water" outside. I gave up on June 19th after drawing the bucket of water shown on the left. I had already filled three buckets with what appeared to be clear water - & then the 4th was bright orange brown.
Imagine every morning shower - water starts clear after it runs for a few minutes but.....better keep an eye on it.
Happened to me 3 times: start in what appears to be clear water and then find you're showering in rust water.
See the drain catcher
after two
showers in all "clear" water.
8. What was that July 16 appointment supposed to be about?
I was assured per Nick that: they were aware, priority, other repairs “moot” unless water corrected per Nick's email of 7/3.
Delbert & Joey were 20-25 minutes late for their 10:30 appt. Joey said he “overslept.” They brought no tools; I loaned Delbert a screwdriver.
They showed up not knowing what to do although Nick had informed them via the forwarded pdfs of 5/10 & 6/30; and Nick allegedly had worked w/Delbert to establish a schedule (7/1 email).
Wisconsin Statutes would not concur, but IF other repairs are "moot" then:
Why are they here now as obviously not about the water?
This is the water (on left) they both looked at.They said nothing, walked away.
I thought - hmmm, ok: 20 yr old boy & a vehicle mechanic don't have a clue & will talk to Nick & get back to me.
That didn't happen.
7/17-9/10:
NO contact from Five Skies re repairs.
On 9/11, 56 days later, I happened to be standing on the back stairs on 9/11 when Joey appeared around the corner. He told me they were "having money problem."
9. Hearing nothing re water & threatened with termination of my lease on 7/1:
On 8/5
I dropped a written request for the expected date of completion of repairs into the same mail slot of the maintenance building where rent checks are deposited. I found the recommendation re written request on the Tenant Resource Center/Madison website. (Click photo to enlarge.)
I received NO response of any kind: No email, no text, no call, no voicemail, no in-person visit - nothing.
I could not work due to the skeevy cash-job plumber's 39 days of no-shows & show ups w/o appointment. I was pretty busy looking for another place to live abd trying to figure out from whom I could borrow money to accomplish a move. I also accepted Five Skies offer to pay rent on the 15th of the month in accordance with receipt of my social security benefit. (left)
10. "This is the first that I had heard that windows do not open"...Nick's email of 7/1
My initial email of 5/10
describes & provides 9 pages of photos of the filthy screens, missing & bent frames
and says
"nonfunctional" windows....:
"functioning doors, windows & screens, clear water, etc., are rather reasonable expectations."
Nick said he forwarded the May 10th pdf/email to Delbert.
Did Nick not look at the pictures, read the email? Or, is he lying? You decide.
11. Notified of non-functioning windows (again) on 6/30: temperature in unit is 90°
They show up 16 days later on July 16.
They used a drill to open one of the windows (west-living room)
Drilling it open left it in a condition that it could not then be closed.
12. Screens replaced per Nick's email of 4/20
Nick's email: "We have screens in,"
No - they didn't. My email of 5/10: "The window situation with bent frames, holes in screens, missing screens..."
On 5/21, they tacked screen fabric over the old, filthy, torn screens (9 pages of photos in 5/10 email
pgs 12-20)
I thought maintenance/repairs might be a significant problem when Nick & Joey left dead bugs on the sills - easy enough & 2 seconds to brush them out, but.....no.
13. On 5/11, Nick stood in the kitchen holding the plate that fell off the bottom of the door...
He said the door had to be replaced. 5/11/16.
In the meantime, the gap twixt door & floor allows the rain to flow in 17' to the end of kitchen counter; bugs & vermin crawling in, can't open the door from outside or without slamming my shoulder into it from the inside; then the key could not be inserted into the lock.
Excerpt from my 9/3 letter to Nick:
■ Jambalaya does find it interesting to watch various insect life appear through the 1/2” space between floor and door.To date, only insect life. Gophers decided to burrow on the east side of the trailer and may have other plans.
■ When rain falls, it puddles under the door spreading as far as the end of the kitchen counter. This is due to themissing screen door and the ½ inch gap.
■ My shoulder aches as a result of having to slam it into the door in order to open the door; my hand has been bruisedrepeatedly due to the multiple knob cranks it requires to function; the key cannot be inserted into the lock. In theevent of an emergency, this door would be useless.
Four months since 5/11: On 9/13, Joey said they had back-ordered the door - wait a few weeks more.....really.
Now, just wait for the door to arrive.....then wait for them to hang it......
4 1/2 -5 or so months later & that's assuming they really did
back-order a door
14. My letter of 9/3 received no response via email, text or call prior to the deadline.
I happened to see Joey when I was outside on Sunday afternoon 9/11 (a little less than 24 hrs before deadline expired at 2:13 on 9/12).
He said he’d be calling about getting supplies for repairs in the morning.
All repairs were to be completed
by 2:15 Monday. By this time, I was pretty damn sure these folks would not actually DO the repairs even though it was now 4 1/2 months since they'd been made aware of the various issues.
Nick, Joey, and Delbert had been provided with written notice & photos of the repairs necessary for health and safety. I was assured: priority, back on schedule, as soon as possible......
While they actually did nothing, they also demanded full rent starting in August.....really.
15. The coerced, fake appointment of 9/20 (details here)
09 20 16 Appointment 10:00 am
At 10:30, I sent text to Joey re email I had just sent to him and told him to advise Delbert and Kurt.
He emailed back that they were talking to attorney and “will be over when we are done talking with him.”
Appointment is at 10:00 a.m. unless he’d rather do something else and he doesn’t need to let me know and the old lady should just wait for him and the other guys….
Odd, isn't it, that according to Arendt's response to DATCP, Kurt the cash-job plumber was unable to be there due to family issue? They're there AND not there.
I received an email from Joey on 10/4 saying plumber was in Madison because daughter was in car accident.
Synching stories? That's my conclusion too.
Bottom line:
■ plumber in Madison per Arendt AND on site per Joey but wait....not according to Joey's email that arrived 10/04 at 4:20pm
■ no one showed up
■ no one cancelled
■ no one rescheduled
■ The documentation sent to DATCP
on 10/10 indicates that I had received no contact from anyone at Five Skies from 9/20-10/10. Indeed, I never heard from them again. I did hear from their scofflaw attorney.
Detailed info re this alleged appointment here
16. Nick's email of 7/1
Simply too many falsehoods to describe individually.
Prefer a pdf? click here
Nick invests much more time & virtual ink calculating rent, late charges, etc, than ensuring, as General Agent of Five Skies, LLC, that what needs doing actually gets done in accordance with the responsibilities of law, building codes, etc.
Lucky for him that he found a scofflaw attorney who was able to aid & abet him in his fraud.